To counter any possible terrorist attacks in the air, the British authorities are considering focusing their surveillance on potential suicide bombers, whose profile would be established according to their ethnic or religious background. "The Government would be ill-advised to sanction such a system. For it is obvious that it would mean the intensive targeting of those travellers of Asian, or Islamic, appearance," warns the paper. "We should bear in mind that there have been a number of non-Asian converts among those radicalised by Islamist propaganda ... This sort of crude profiling could also alienate the very communities whose co-operation will be needed to foil terrorist attempts ... If an entire ethnic community is treated as potential criminals, they are unlikely to co-operate with the authorities." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » United Kingdom

"Fear creates suspicion and suspicion can contribute to the quicker exposure of conspiracies. But suspicion can also take on unhealthy dimensions," writes Adam Cerny, commenting on the debate in Great Britain about subjecting Muslims to extra security checks at airports. "The dilemma is obvious. How can we prevent terrorist attacks without jeopardising the values of democracy? Doesn't this smack of government-ordained racism?... Democracy is not democracy when it classifies people according to the colour of their skin or religious affiliation. But democracy should not forget that those who plan these attacks would like to blow up democracy with one big bang." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Adam Černý

György Fodor speculates on what a future with even tougher security measures for air traffic would look like. "People stand in long cues at check-in desks with transparent plastic bags containing passports, plane tickets, medications and tampons. Mothers drink a couple of gulps from their babies' bottles – but only after the airport staff has given them permission to do so. Perhaps the time will come when passengers are not allowed to wear any clothing at all. They're shaved and disinfected before they get onto planes in case they have bio-weapons on their skin. During longer flights people watch each other closely, full of suspicion. No-one dares make a fast move for fear of being dragged off in handcuffs by the security personnel." Fodor fears such a scenario but agrees that passengers must share part of the responsibility for ensuring safety. "Respecting individual freedom and protecting privacy is very important. But many forget that joint, and perhaps one day global, safety regulations do not necessarily have to contradict the principles of freedom and democracy." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Global
All available articles from » György Fodor

In the newspaper's leading editorial, Peter Carsten criticises the lack of a coordinated strategy in Germany's security policy. He points out that following each terrorist attack, laws were tightened but never evaluated for effectiveness. Now there are plans to increase the powers of the Federal Intelligence Service (BND) within Germany. "Didn't the BND recently come under attack because it was spying on journalists here in Germany – in most cases illegally? The granting of increased powers to the BND here in Germany looks like a reward for illegal activities. What is needed in the fight against terrorism is not new laws and soldiers as much as it is more money (as in all areas) and new ideas. Since 9/11 the German parliament has never dared to make a thorough analysis of Germany's capabilities and omissions which – like the American 9/11 commission – could serve as a basis for a new security policy. The interior ministry has not come up with any new concepts that have reached the public domain." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Germany
All available articles from » Peter Carstens

"Hypermobility is at last under assault," columnist Simon Jenkins writes with relief. "Now we are told that airlines will require three hour check-in times, with flying conditions comparable to those endured by paratroops on active duty. Airports will punctuate any foreign holiday with purgatory." Admittedly, Jenkins concedes, "freedom of movement is seen as the natural companion to freedom of speech. But as that admirable geographer John Adams constantly reminds us, hyper-mobility erodes the bonds that hold family and society together. It is the enemy of civic pride, good neighbourliness and clean air. The yearning for the holiday cottage, air miles and the fly-drive weekend break denudes home communities of their vigour and disrupts destination ones. It uses quantities of energy while creating migratory hordes in perpetual and polluting transit." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Infrastructure / Travel and Transport, » Global
All available articles from » Simon Jenkins

For British historian and essayist Henry Kamen "the terrorist threat observed in the recent days in the United Kingdom reveals the fragility of a society that calls itself multicultural. When one culture lives inside another, what identity do citizens have? To which culture should they pay allegiance ... When a society moves from being monocultural, as England was in the 1950s, to being multicultural huge problems are created and it is difficult to solve them. Coexistence between cultures always involves potential risk ... Society might indeed seem richer because diverse, but it also becomes poorer if it is unable to obtain a certain form of loyalty, a condition that is essential for a stable society." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Demographics, » United Kingdom
All available articles from » Henry Kamen

"One of the last taboos in Germany foreign policy, a legacy of its national socialist past, is on the verge of vanishing. Troops from the Bundeswehr could well soon be sent to the Middle East as part of the United Nations force in Lebanon," writes Daniel Vernet. "The question has been posed and Berlin must answer swiffly. A number of different approaches could be envisaged to avoid any German-Israeli stand-off. The Germans' talks could be to train the Lebanese army or be deployed in the north of the country to prevent any weapons trafficking between Syria and Hizbullah. Then again, they could be responsible for sea surveillance. One thing is certain: this fresh normalization of German politics will prompt wide-reaching debat both among the public at large and in Parliament. Democratic Germany cannot send its troops abroad without the authorization of the people's representatives." (16/08/2006)

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All available articles from » Daniel Vernet

Kurt Kister argues that Germany's contingent in the UN peace force in Lebanon should be kept relatively small. "Germany is highly respected by the Arab states as one of Europe's leading nations. Gerhard Schröder's opposition to the war in Iraq increased that respect. At the same time, Germany is regarded as one of Israel's closest allies. The country's high standing with both antagonists puts it in a unique position. Of the major powers in the EU, France is regarded as pro-Arab, while the United Kingdom has lost its power to influence the situation owing to Blair's loyalty to Bush. The UN peace-keeping force in Lebanon will therefore play an important role, and German participation in that force is in Germany's best interest, as well as that of Europe as a whole. But that Germany's contingent should not be too large is generally understood and accepted on an international level. In view of the fact that the Germans tried to annihilate the Jews three generations ago, a situation in which a German soldier shoots at an Israeli – either unintentionally or because he was ordered to – must be avoided at all costs." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Germany
All available articles from » Kurt Kister

Last week the municipal authorities of Padua erected a steel wall 84 metres long and three meters high in an attempt to seal off and more effectively control a rough neighbourhood of the city. The daily paper denounces the move. "A wall is a wall. History and law tell us there is always some inacceptable arbitrariness in the material used to build barriers that cut people off from other people ... This wall is not the fruit of lofty thought. It is not merely about shape or substance. It is quite simply about civic-mindedness, which cannot be secured by calling what is effectively a wall 'a net', as the authorities persist in doing ... Incidentally, calling a punch 'a caress' is not particularly useful, either, when it comes to building social harmony." (11/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Italy

The daily paper believes that Spain's good economic growth performance (0.9% in the second quarter of the year) should not be allowed to mask the country's structural problems. "The first is inflation that leads to a constant lost of competitiveness. It is not a problem that can be solved by itself: it requires political measures that call for courage and clear ideas. And it is precisely at times of economic growth that such measures can be put in place at less cost and sacrifice ... The current government has certainly not wasted the legacy it inherited, but it has not put itself about enough in search of ways to open new horizons for Spanish society." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Fiscal Policy, » Tax Policy, » Spain

The Swedish economy grew by 5.5 percent in the second quarter, yet the number of employees increased by only 0.7 percent. The newspaper therefore concludes that economic growth does not necessarily create more jobs. "Globalisation, rationalisation and higher productivity are taking their toll. If Sweden wants to maintain or increase its competitiveness it will need to resort to unpopular measures, namely demanding higher educational standards and more mobility from its employees. We also need to reduce the income tax and create an environment that encourages investment." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Sweden

Tomorrow, what is being referred to as the great newspaper war will begin in Denmark. The country already has two free newspapers, but now Denmark's two largest publishing houses, Politiken/JP Hus and the Berlingske Officin, which was recently taken over by David Montgomery's Mecom concern, as well as Iceland's media concern Dagsbrun, are all poised to publish their own free newspapers. These three new newspapers will be distributed to around 500,000 Danish households. Palle Weis, Information's editor in chief, comments: "Over the coming months, billions will be pumped into the newspaper business and this will have repercussions. Generally, we should be glad to see new players on the market. A healthy democracy needs a newspaper sector in which independent publishers, pluralism and journalistic quality are the standard. There is no reason why free newspaper shouldn't deliver good quality, but these newspapers won't be competing in terms of quality and diversity. On the contrary, over the coming months we'll witness rampant cannibalism in the advertising and newspaper sector. There will be few winners and many losers." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Print media, » Corporations, » Denmark
All available articles from » Palle Weis

Günter Grass's admission that he served in the Waffen-SS has provoked harsh reactions in Poland. Politicians of the ruling Law and Justice party have called for Grass to be deprived of his honorary citizenship of the city of Gdansk and former Polish President Lech Walesa said that if he were Grass he would immediately give up his honorary citizenship. The daily's editor in chief, Adam Michnik, responds to Walesa's demands saying: "In his novels and essays, at public appearances and in interviews, Günter Grass always resolutely criticised and exposed the crimes of National Socialism, including those committed in Poland. For many years, Grass was Poland's most loyal and generous friend in Germany, and he paid a high price for his friendship. German Nazis attacked him because he stubbornly insisted that Germany recognise the Oder-Neisse border. The communists attacked him because he supported the Polish democratic opposition right from the outset… To forget all this now would be foolish and ungrateful. It would be shameful to negate all that just because of a mistake he made back in 1944 when he was very young." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Literature, » History, » Poland
All available articles from » Adam Michnik

This week an exhibition featuring cartoons of the Holocaust cartoons opened in Tehran. The exhibition is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's answer to the Danish Muhammad cartoons published last year. Martin Komarek comments: " Ahmadinejad is a provocateur: He is holding up a mirror to the West and forcing it to confront its own hypocrisy. For a long time he has been asking: 'Why is it forbidden to dispute the Holocaust in the West? What about your so-called freedom of expression? Naturally, the automatic response is to say that it's one thing to make a harmless joke about a religious symbol and quite another to make fun of the suffering of millions of human beings. But this argument isn't valid. Either you have freedom of expression or you don't. If not, then both the Holocaust and the Muhammad cartoons should be forbidden. If you do, then both should be allowed and tolerated. There is no in-between." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Exhibitions / Museums, » Fine Arts, » Religion, » Weltanschauung, » Iran
All available articles from » Martin Komarek

Journalist Julian Sykes believes that the Bayreuth opera festival, a venerable institution devoted to the arts that was founded in 1876, is running out of steam. "Wagnerians will tell you that Bayreuth's golden years were between the 1950s and 1970s ... Yet although one might deplore the decline of Wagnerian song, nothing can justifie the ups and downs of the festival. Once a beacon, Bayreuth lives on a past to which it clumsily attempts to bring lustre through avantgarde productions. But because it portrays itself as the guardian of tradition, the marriage is tense, and the strain is felt. At nearly 87 years of age, Wolfgang Wagner - at the helm since 1951! - still wields the sceptre. Despite the effort made to welcome Europe's avantgarde stage directors, recent productions (an incomprehensible 'Parsifal' from Schlingensief and an incomplete 'Tristan' from Marthaler) have not brought that long-awaited freshness." (16/08/2006)

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All available articles from » Julian Sykes

French multimedia artist and composer Jean-Baptiste Barriere bemoans the fact that France's elected representatives do not consider that there are any real political stakes at issue in the arts and culture. "For too long now politicians, particularly on the left, seem to have lost any real ambition for the arts and culture ... The way they are administered has gradually turned into a series of festival committees. It is only in this way that culture still interests those in government. For them it is a means to their ends, not an end in itself. If it does not meet with popular success, it is elitist and therefore a danger to their political marketing. This is an absurd syllogism and artificial dichotomy, which denies the complexity of producing arts and culture. Where are the lofty educational and cultural ambitions that should characterize any policy worthy of the name." (16/08/2006)

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More from the press review on the subject » Cultural Policy, » France
All available articles from » Jean-Baptiste Barrière